Communication and teamworking in healthcare

Abstract

The development of teamworking and multidisciplinary communication across organizational settings, and particularly in healthcare, reflects a growing awareness of the benefits to be derived from this way of working. These benefits, in the form of improved healthcare delivery and better member well-being, are described by reference to research evidence. However, it is pointed out that the greatest barrier to effective teamwork and communication is the organisational context, and the appropriate supports and integration systems to achieve this are identified. The importance of effective team processes and, above all, the team's capacity for reflexivity (reflecting on and adapting objectives, strategies, processes and context) is emphasized.